Not Just A Character In A Movie

“I’ve never seen an alien. Have you ever seen an alien?”

The character, Mick Canales, had lost both of his legs. He believed that he could no longer be a soldier, which was something he had been all of his adult life. He didn’t want to cooperate in physical therapy. He was abrupt and rude. Then something happened. His physical therapist was told to get off the mountain because aliens had landed. The earth was under attack.

“I’ve never seen an alien. Have you ever seen an alien? With that line by Lieutenant Colonel Mick Canales, I realized that the character was returning to the soldier he thought that he could no longer be.

The movie is Battleship. I like science fiction movies and years ago when my son was in junior high, we played the game. I wanted to see the movie without knowing its plot nor who was starring. It had to be my kind of movie.

When the character of Lieutenant Colonel Mick Canales was introduced, I thought it could not be special effects. The actor had to be a real amputee and not just a real amputee, but also a military man. At the end when the credits rolled, I watched for the name of the actor. His real name is Gregory D. Gadson. Well, it’s more than that. He is actually Colonel Gregory D. Gadson.

A native of Chesapeake, Va., raised by a teacher mom and pharmacist dad, Gadson played Division I football and applied to West Point. He graduated in 1989 and served in Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield in Kuwait. Subsequently, he served in Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia-Herzegovina; Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

On May 7, 2007 in Baghdad, he was returning from a memorial service for two soldiers from his brigade when his vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device. Gadson lost both legs above the knee and suffered a severe injury to his right arm. Rather than taking a medical retirement, Gadson requested to stay on active duty.

Colonel Gadson became one of the first soldiers fitted with a next-generation powered prosthetic knee. It allows amputees to walk with a more natural gait. He became a motivational speaker, and is credited with motivating the New York Giants to win the Superbowl in 2007. The Giants minted a special championship ring for Gadson.

For almost two years, he was director of the Army Wounded Warrior program, and in 2010, he became an Army War College Fellow at the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C.

On June 25, 2012, Col. Gregory D. Gadson assumed command of Fort Belvoir, Va., a 47,000-strong garrison in its 100th year of service.

Col. Gadson holds Masters Degrees in Information Systems and Policy Management from Webster University. He is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College and the Advanced Field Artillery Officers Course.

Regarding the role of Mick Canales in Battleship, Col. Gadson said that the director sought him out. Col. Gadson performed his own stunts in the movie. It was a perfect role for him because he could relate to being a career soldier and having that cut short when wounded and the struggle of finding strength within. He is now able to use his experience as a soldier, and experience as an amputee, to help others.

As he says in one line in the movie, “I got this.” Yes, you certainly do. Thank you, Colonel Gregory D. Gadson, for serving America and for your strong courage in overcoming and using that overcoming to motivate others. You are an inspiration.

Hope you enjoy the following clips from the movie. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, and you like science fiction with aliens along with the military winning, (and a little love story added in for good measure), it’s a must see.

Our secret — I have all of the Jurassic Park movies. My late husband collected all of the Godzilla movies. I gave some away to a brother-in-law. I have the last 3 Twilight movies — the first few are too mushy-love stories. LOL!

Another note worthy bit of information is that Col. Gadson was the first double amputee allowed to stay on active duty. The military in the past has allowed some amputees to stay on active duty.

Another good movie is “Men of Honor”, it is based on the true story of Master Chief Carl Brashear. He was the first AA allowed into the Navy’s Diving School. He lost a leg to a ship board accident while recovering a lost nuclear bomb off the coast of Spain. He became the first amputee diver to be recertified as a Navy Diver and returned to full active duty. He also became the first AA to become a Master Diver (achieving the rank of Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate). He stayed on active duty for another 10 years after his accident.

Quote of MC Brashear: “It’s not a sin to get knocked down; it’s a sin to stay down.”

Another actor worth mentioning is that of J. R. Martinez. He was on All My Children from 2008 to when it was cancelled and on Dancing with the Stars. He was an Iraqi veteran who was severely burned after his Humvee hit a landmine.

towerflower,
Thanks for the reminder of Men of Honor. I saw that and it portrays not only overcoming being an amputee, but also the racial discrimination he faced. I will always remember the part when all of the guys besides one left the barracks, and the one who stayed said, “I’m from Wisconsin.”

Zimmermans say they are owed costs for moving out of their property, including $6,900 for hotels, $22,800 for rent and $7,700 for laundry. They are also seeking $600,000 for emotional distress.

WTF, are they doing laundry for the whole state of Florida? Emotional distress!!! Sue your son, he’s the one who followed and killed a teen who was just walking home from the store. How much did you earn from your beg sight for living expenses? How much did you profit from your book?

On the conservative side, it has been almost 27 mths since the shooting to now. That comes out to $285 a month in laundry! That’s a lot of laundry for just 3 people. What were they doing? Dry cleaning everything instead of a laundry mat? I don’t know of a hotel that doesn’t have a laundry room for guests to use like Yahtzee said and like Dreamer said most rentals come with a washer and dryer. Even most apartment buildings in Florida now have washers and dryers right in the apartment.

Their financial discovery should be interesting, when or if it comes to that.

I haven’t stayed in a motel yet that doesn’t give you a free breakfast, in fact some of them are pretty darn good. Free coffee, shampoo, conditioner, soap, toilet paper, free wi-fy, cable, newspaper, and no utility bills to pay.

They are seeking almost 23k for rent. What, no washer and dryer. Most rentals come with that, but if they didn’t, they could have had someone bring them theirs, or buy one. For $7,700, they could have bought 7 brand new sets.

dreamer,
They could have moved in with George and Shellie and shared the rent. Since George had bodyguards, they would have also had security. Members of the same family in “crisis” and needing financial help, but not living together making it more affordable. Something is wrong with that picture.

“By definition, black Americans can never be white because they are the lynch pin and cornerstone of the American racial order. Thus, a paradox: everyone wants to be “black” if it involves music, culture, and perhaps even sex. But no one really wants to be Black if it involves our lived personhood.”

Yahtzee, Agreed, and if one were to take the time to actually read the two links I posted above, one could perhaps come to understand not only why what you mention takes place and why it continues to happen. Change will come, but not with out more pain and suffering by each and every one of us… Of course, I realize that reading more than just a few words is becoming an extinct art form, too bad, much knowledge can be gained from the written word, if a man/woman has an open mind… Have a wonderful evening, please forgive me for breaking my silence.

I would agree that dark skinned black Americians can never be white, however lighter skinned blacks can pass as white and many have made the choice to pass as white. This is not only the choice of hispanics choosing to be white, but those with black roots. It’s sad that people are willing to look the other way, but many will do what benefits themselves the most. The whiter the righter.

Hispanics or any other race never had to check the black, negro, or colored section of the census, but those with any black ancestry or one drop of African Americam blood had to. We can now mark any box we choose. There’s not a question “white privilege” exsist in todays world. Hispanics many have not been afforded all the “white privleges”, but they were never considered black or 3/5th’s a man.

I agree white people would be a minority, and they need hispanics to keep the power, and hispanic want to be a part of the “superior race”, but the reality is, as we become more of a bi-racial world, those with black ancestry who can pass as white, are choosing to do so as well. Not all, but many. In doing so, many are leaving behind family members who choose not to.

AS a note, rermember when Native American Indians were given rights to land, and now they have casinos popping up everywhere. They give back to people of the tribe the profits which they are making. Look at how many people tried and are still trying to prove they are part Indian.

“Thus, a paradox: everyone wants to be “black” if it involves music, culture, and perhaps even sex. ”

Yes, because “white privliges” = having it all, the things they have and the things they don’t. And I say, HOW DOES IT FEAL TO WANT? You can’t have and never will have any of the above, because it involves “lived personhood.” And that YOU don’t want, who does?

I can hear it already, We gave the blacks the same privliges we have, they can vote, sit in the front of the bus, sit anywhere in resteraunts, EEOC. It’s not about race, they have the same rights we do, but they choose to keep themselves down. Come on, get it all out, I’m listening, and Iv’e heard it all before. Digg deeper. It’s not about the things you say you gave, it’s about what you didn’t give, and Why.

dreamer, I hope you realize those were not my words? I you read the link you would have seen them, if I recall correctly in the last paragraph of the posted article. The other article that I posted gave a pretty good view point as to why the upper class of this nation feel there must be an inferior class of people for hatred to be directed toward, there fore allowing them to remain as “top dogs” in the social structure. As long as they have people directing their hatred toward minorities then they will remain in power… Read the article, it really has some good points….

First of all, a big hug, I have missed you here, but I know when the time is right we’ll see more of you. Of course I realize those weren’t your words, and I hope you realize my comments were not at all directed at you. The article does have good points. I understand what they are doing to stay in power. I would call it flipping the script. They have minorities where they want them so they will remain in power, and use the excuse that they have been given all the privileges to reach what they have, and it’s their fault they choose to keep themselves down.

Know let me try and explain what I mean when I say “it’s what you didn’t give.” The “lived personhood”, falls right into the answer. Black music, culture, and yes even sex, is an expression of “lived personhood.” It’s what comes from within, and in order you have that, you must also “live” that. Who wants the “lived personhood” of what the black people have endured and still are? If I’m correct, black people don’t want it most of all, they have lived it and still are. The white people and other minorities don’t want it, and have had the privileges of not experiencing it, and that’s just where they want it to stay.

Knowledge is power. We all have wants in life, but to achieve power and social structure, you must have acceptance. Who wants to go to a job, and the only reason they have that job is because the laws say you have to give it to them. My husband doesn’t even like to go to the store, he’s allowed to by law, but he knows he’s going to be followed. The laws are written to give blacks the same rights as whites, but it’s what they have to endure, that keep them down, and that just where those with power want them to be. They don’t want the black “lived personhood”, They would like all blacks to believe they have no race issue, after all the laws give you rights, but the main ingredient is missing or artificial.